Cloud Computing and its Scope in Future

Introduction

What, how, why, who…..

What is Cloud Computing?

How it works?

Why does one need Cloud Computing?

Who are the users?

These are just the few questions that one would’ve probably wondered. Cloud Computing is a real buzzword and the most ubiquitous one. Yet, one doesn’t have to be a techie to understand it. Everyone who uses a web or Internet-based application from any prominent provider such as Microsoft or Google, such as Hotmail, Gmail, Google Docs and Dropbox is using Cloud Computing!!

Let’s try and understand.

Cloud Computing refers to all the Internet-based services, applications and development. IBM defines Cloud Computing as ‘computing as a service over the Internet’ that allows storing of great volumes of data, sans the possibility of losing the same.Cloud Computing or ‘the cloud’ refers to pooling of technology resources for the delivery of centralized data storing and access services over the Internet.

Cloud Computing is a significant aspect of the information technology that has made lives of people easier and simpler. We all enjoy the facility to upload documents, photos and videos to the Internet (‘the cloud’) and retrieve them anytime, anywhere at our convenience.

Cloud Computing is mainly categorized into three services including, software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS). Key characteristics of Cloud Computing are on-demand network access, scalability, greater security, measured service and flexibility.

Importance

Cloud Computing is a fast emerging business standard. Enterprises find it beneficial in several ways. Cloud Computing simplifies accessibility, provides virtual storage space, addresses backup issues, it provides security against unauthorized access and loss of data. Key advantage is that users can pay only for the resources they have used on ‘the cloud’ and do away with the major investments for data storage, software licenses, servers and hardware.

According to an IBM statistic about 85% of new applications are being developed around Cloud Computing. The industry is expected to grow tremendously, driven mainly by the services that allow users to backup their files including photos and music, while ensuring easy availability of files in cases of hard drive crash. Studies by NASDAQ indicate that investments in cloud technology is likely to expand over US$ 40 million by the year 2018.

Career Prospects

According to the statistics provided by the Market Research Media, the worldwide market for Cloud Computing is likely to grow at a CAGR of 30% to reach US$ 270 billion through the year 2020. Considering the cutting-edge innovations and new industry-specific applications, Cloud Computing is fast emerging as an essential component of an enterprise’s IT framework.

Organizations, both big and small have deployed the cloud technology in some suitable capacity. Enterprises need expert IT professionals to work around ‘the cloud’. The Cloud Computing industry requires professionals with adept training and knowledge in both technical and managerial fields. The demand for IT professionals continues to rise at an exponential rate as more and more enterprises adopt Cloud Computing.

Aspirants focused on taking a plunge into the Cloud can choose from a range of career paths such as Cloud architects, Cloud engineers, Cloud security experts, Cloud developers, Cloud support analysts to name a few. Similar to all other IT jobs, jobs in the Cloud Computing stream involve considerably high pay packages. Even the entry level jobs receive fat pay packages, making the sector more lucrative for ambitious professionals.

Skill-sets

Candidates seeking to pursue a career in Cloud Computing need to possess exceptional IT and programming skills. Required technical skills comprise a strong hold on programming languages, visualization technologies and HTML.

Professionals seeking to succeed in the managerial stream need to gain an understanding of issues associated with policy, agreements, risk analytics, online marketing strategies as well as the ability to deal with clients.

Conclusion

Cloud Technologies are mostly virtualization environments. Aspirants seeking to make good in the Cloud need to be adept in networking and virtualization and gain hands-on exposure with live deployments. Candidates can also experiment with their Cloud Technology Skills on few websites that offer lab infrastructure such as Azure, AWS and Google Cloud among others.